In a significant move aimed at resolving the long-pending woes of thousands of homebuyers, the Supreme Court has issued crucial directions to the Uttar Pradesh government and development authorities concerning the stalled Amrapali Group housing projects. The apex court has asked the state to submit documents related to the issuance of completion certificates (CCs) and occupancy certificates (OCs), emphasizing that the process should not be held up by demands for papers that may no longer exist with the defunct developer.
Court's Directives to Streamline Certification
A bench of Justices Sanjay Kumar and Satish Chandra Sharma, hearing the matter on December 11, instructed the Noida Authority, Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA), and other concerned bodies to stop insisting on documents that were originally in the possession of the Amrapali Group. The court acknowledged that such records might not be available with the court-appointed receiver or the state-run National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC), which is now completing the stalled projects.
The bench proposed that statutory compliance verification, where needed, could be carried out directly by the development authorities in coordination with the relevant statutory departments. This would relieve the NBCC or the court receiver from this burden at the current stage.
Joint Meeting and Committee Formation
Acting on an offer from the court-appointed receiver, R Venkataramani, a joint meeting was convened. It was held on December 22 at the receiver's residence in Delhi and was attended by senior officials from Noida Authority, GNIDA, and NBCC. The key outcome of this meeting was the decision to form a committee specifically tasked with streamlining the requirements for granting CCs and OCs for completed or occupied buildings.
During the hearings, the counsel for Noida and Greater Noida authorities raised concerns about the legality of occupying flats without completion certificates. They warned that authorities could be held accountable in case of incidents like fires, lift malfunctions, or earthquakes if certificates were issued without mandatory no-objection certificates and statutory clearances.
Progress Report and Future Steps
The court has asked Ruchira Goel, appearing for the state of UP, to verify the status of clearances from various departments like the fire department and the directorate of electrical safety. She is to ascertain if the original developer obtained necessary approvals and present those certificates in the next hearing.
On a positive note, Noida Authority informed the court that it had already issued OCs and CCs on August 20, 2025, for nine towers of Amrapali Silicon City, covering 972 residential units. Water connections have also been provided to nine projects. Separately, GNIDA stated in a December 9 affidavit that five Amrapali projects—Leisure Park, Dream Valley, Centurion Park, Golf Homes, and Leisure Valley—fall under its jurisdiction, and orders have been issued to provide them water connections urgently.
The court also advised authorities to allow the physical submission of documents for CCs and OCs instead of insisting solely on online files, noting that the latter lacks procedural flexibility. It clarified that allottees occupying completed units would be responsible for their operation and maintenance, and cannot expect NBCC to handle those duties. The matter is scheduled for further hearing on January 22.
A Legacy of Delay and Hope for Resolution
The Amrapali Group was once a major real estate player in Noida and Greater Noida, having sold tens of thousands of flats primarily to middle-class buyers between 2008 and 2015. Following widespread complaints of stalled construction and financial irregularities, the Supreme Court cancelled the group's RERA registration in 2019 and handed over the responsibility of completing the projects to NBCC.
Abhishek Kumar, president of the Noida Extension Flat Owners Welfare Association, highlighted the scale of the issue, noting that Amrapali was developing nearly 42,000 flats. "They delivered 15,000 flats but the remaining were undelivered. Some were later delivered but due to the lack of OC/CC, homebuyers couldn't get the registry done. The SC intervention has given hope that the flats will be delivered now," he said. This latest judicial intervention is seen as a critical step towards delivering justice to the homebuyers who have been waiting for years.
